Syllabus of Basic Education

Study Resources

Study and Exam Techniques

The candidates may want to review various articles on a web page titled Helpful Future Fellows Articles in the Study Tips, Tools and Past Pass Marks section of the individual Examination pages under the "Exams and Admissions" section of the CAS website. These articles provide insight into the examination process.

Syllabus Updates

Occasionally, the course of reading for an examination may be changed after publication of the Syllabus. Such a change will be announced on the Syllabus Material section of the individual Examination page under the "Exams and Admissions" section of the CAS website.

Study Notes

Official Study Notes are published to help candidates prepare for the examinations. In some instances, Study Notes are the principal materials for study; in others, they are designed to coordinate the subject matter for the candidate or to complement other readings. Study Notes may be downloaded at no charge from the specific exam syllabus web page.

Study Kits for CAS-administered Exams

The Study Kit contains required readings not owned by the CAS but for which the CAS has been granted permission to include in the Study Kit. Study Kits will be available in mid-December for the following April/May examinations and by mid-June for the following October/November examinations. Study Kits may be purchased from the CAS Online Store; there are NO RETURNS and NO REFUNDS.

Online Publications for CAS-administered Exams

All readings that are denoted as "Online Publications" will be available on a web page titled Complete Online Text References for each examination at no charge.

Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2

All required educational content for Online Courses 1/CA1 and 2/CA2 is provided in the online courses themselves.

Sample Examination Questions and Past Examinations

Preliminary Exams

Sample examination questions for Exams 1, 2, 3F, and 4 may be available from the sponsoring organizations.

CAS-administered Exams

In general, the CAS does not provide sample examination questions for the examinations that it administers. Instead, it provides copies of previously administered exams. In referring to previously administered exams, candidates should keep in mind that the questions were based on the learning objectives in effect for that particular examination and may not reflect the current learning objectives. Candidates may also expect future examinations to vary somewhat as to the proportions of question styles and subjects. New forms of questions may appear from time to time, and the total number of questions may vary from one exam sitting to the next.

CAS-administered exams will be posted in the "Exams" section of the CAS website the day after the given examination has been administered. They will include a preliminary list of multiple-choice answers. For exams administered using the Technology-based Examination (TBE) environment, the examination will be available in an Excel format. The Examiner's Report will be posted at the end of July for April/May Examinations and at the end of January for October/November Examinations.

Exam MAS-I and MAS-II

For Exams MAS-I and MAS-II, the candidate can look to previously CAS-administered Exams 3L, LC, ST, and S for actual questions/answers for Learning Objectives that overlap with Exam Exams MAS-I and MAS-II. Sample questions/answers for new topics for Exams MAS-I and MAS-II are available on the website and are available in the "Study Tips, Tools, and Past Pass Marks" section of the CAS website.

Copies of recent past exams including answer key for Exams 3L, LC, ST, and S are available at no charge in the "Past Exams and Pass Marks" section of the CAS website. While the last exam administration was October 2013 for Exam 3L, May 2016 for Exams LC and ST, and October 2017 for Exam S, copies of past Exams 3L, LC, ST, and S are still provided to assist candidates in preparing for Exam MAS-I and MAS-II.

Exams 5-9
Copies of recent past exams for Exams 5-9 are available at no charge in the "Past Exams and Pass Marks" section of the CAS website. The Examiner's Report includes narratives for each question describing where points were achieved and where the candidates commonly missed points. The Examiners' Report is an invaluable tool when preparing for an upcoming exam or consequently assessing missed opportunities on a prior exam. All candidates should read the reports from prior versions of the exam for which they are sitting. However, when incorporating the Examiners' Report into your studying routine, it is important to keep in mind what the report is and, most importantly, what it is not. Candidates should review the Future Fellows article "Getting the Most out of the Examiners' Report."

Sample Exam and Practice Exam for TBE

To prepare candidates for what the exam will look like in the TBE environment, the CAS will release a TBE Sample Exam, a TBE Practice Exam, and TBE Sample Solutions in late 2017. These materials will all be based on the spring 2016 Exam 5.

E-Mail Study Groups

The CAS has e-mail study groups available on the Online Community for those preparing for CAS examinations. To join a CAS e-mail study group, click on the corresponding community and then "Join" on the right sidebar. Please direct any related questions to Sophie Uy, CAS IT and Online Services Coordinator, at suy@casact.org.

CAS Library

The CAS Library has a limited number of the books available for loan marked with a bold B in this Syllabus. Candidates registered for CAS Examinations and all members of the CAS have access to the library. The CAS Library is located at the CAS Office in Arlington, Virginia. For those who reside in East Asia, the Casualty Actuarial Society (Hong Kong Office) has CAS Library books available for lending and candidates residing in that area should contact the office in Hong Kong.

Books and manuals may be withdrawn from the library for a period of one month without charge. In general, not more than two references may be in the hands of one borrower at a time.

Requests for library books may be sent via e-mail or in writing to the addresses below. The request must include the borrower's complete name, address, and telephone number as well as the complete title(s) and author(s) of the requested book(s).

Candidates are responsible for the cost of returning library books. Books must be returned to the office from which they were borrowed. The CAS ships the requested book(s) in the U.S. via United Parcel Service (UPS) and internationally via Air Mail. Due to delays in the mail system, the CAS requires all shipments of books returned to the CAS Office to be shipped via UPS, FedEx, or an equivalent carrier with tracking capabilities. Please do not use the postal service. Overdue books will be charged at a cost of 25Â¢ per day.

Books that are not available through the CAS Library may be obtained by contacting the organizations listed in the "Publishers and Distributors" section at the end of each examination syllabus section.